The birth and delivery of the concept of the Circle of Life Thunderbird House was borne from a meeting of an Elders’ Council with Architect Douglas Cardinal in 1998 at the Aboriginal Centre. At this meeting, Mr. Cardinal conferred with the Council as to what this building might look like and after a full day of discussions and consultation, Mr. Cardinal submitted his concept of their discussions and consultation two weeks later with a model of what this building might look like. This was presented to the community in the Rotunda of the Aboriginal Centre by Mr. Cardinal. The concept and model were enthusiastically accepted by those gathered, of which there were no fewer than 300 people present.
While the Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic was designed to fulfill the needs of the aboriginal community it has evolved to be more than that. The grounds were consecrated by our own Resident Elder, Linda Blomme, prior to beginning of construction. On at least four occasions during construction, the building and materials used to construct the building were blessed by other Elders from the community. The building also got its name through a sacred Naming Ceremony conducted by Elder, Mark Thompson on December 8, 1998 in the Aboriginal Centre. This was after the concept was accepted by the community and before construction started. As well, before each pile was put into the ground, tobacco was offered and placed in each hole to further bless the building. This is why the Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic is considered sacred and a requirement to have your shoes removed or covered when entering the Ceremonial space.
The Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic features four doorways representing all four people of the world by the colors of each doorway. North represents White, East represents Yellow, South represents Black and West represents Red. These are the four people of the world. There are no others. There is a blending of all these people and all are accepted.
This is why the Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic belongs to all people and is made accessible to all for their sacred gatherings and ceremonies. Our responsibility is to maintain the integrity and sanctity of the Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic. This means we are the caretakers of this sacred building. We need to support the Whaka Pimadiziiwii Pinaysiiwigamic to protect our inheritance of the knowledge and sacred teachings of our people. We have a sacred trust to share our knowledge with all people as given to us through our forefathers’ prophecies. We hold a knowledge and wisdom handed down to us to share with those who seek kindness, caring, sharing and truth: our four guiding principles.
